06/23/2026
“It’s astonishing the judgement placed on these boys and girls and whether they will succeed before they have reached puberty”
-It’s a kids game
“We think we know everything and are automatically given the right to judge children as young as 7,8, or 9 years old.”
-It’s a kids game
All the judgements of these kids is disheartening and unfair to them.
I know from our experience, we had 2 judgements, both of which stuck their whole careers, yes starting at age 7!!
I have one player that was too big, at 7, he was eliminated as a player to be valued and encouraged. Instead he was pinch run for at 8 and 9. He was only ever a pitcher and a 1st baseman. Those would be his positions for all 12 years of playing baseball, because apparently those are the only 2 positions that a bigger kid could play. The fire in my blood for this still burns. BUT he dug deep for the love of the game and became an elite pitcher and a top 10 pitcher for our state. Guess how much acknowledgement the big pitcher got? Correct. Zero. He stopped playing after high school. I wonder why.
Unfair
My other son has been and will always be too small. Too small to hit hard. Too small to pitch. Too small to play the mid infield. He will play in the outfield because small kids run fast. At 7. Now he fueled that fire and decided he wanted to be the toughest on the team. He became a catcher. One that got dismissed constantly because he was too small to be a catcher. Again he was determined to prove himself right, in that he would end up being an elite catcher and an elite pitcher who is going on to play college ball.
Judgement is just unfair to these kids. Judged at 7,8 or 9 as to what kind of player you will be…forever. Judged based on your last name. Siblings that were great athletes automatically gets you a starting 9 position anywhere that you want. Judged by coaches who have never met anyone on a team but just by having a few conversations with some parents or some other connections they may have, somehow, someway the roster and lineup remain the same. All kids in the same roles with the same perceived ability.
It’s so bad how wildly inaccurate the information they receive is, but how they will stand by whatever they are told.
Again unfair.
So how do we make this better?
I’m always looking to improve this environment for the kids.
How do we get each kid actually seen, and not just the 1st year, but every year after that?
I know more kids that were the “stars” until 13 and then they just become a regular good baseball players, like his/her teammates.
But the perception remains.
Johnny hit a homer at 11, he will be a starter for the rest of his baseball days. Timmy pitched a no hitter at 12 and will forever be a top pitcher in the state.
More important question, how do we keep these inaccurately judged kids involved and active in baseball? How do we have them continue their love for the greatest game on earth?
